You probably missed it over the weekend, but the Denn boys were briefly featured in the News Journal’s coverage of the Easter Seals annual charity volleyball tournament. In particular, the newspaper focused on the fact that the boys brought their toy medical kits to the game in the event that Senator Carper broke a bone as he had in last year’s game. You can read about it here.

As always on this blog, we try to bring you the story behind the story. In this case, the story is that Senator Carper—a good friend to whom I largely owe my political career, such as it is—did not find the “boys with medical kits” sight gag the least bit funny. Aside from having the best winning streak of any elected official in Delaware history and personally recruiting most of the young Democrats who make up the party’s much vaunted “bench,” Senator Carper also has the best sense of humor of just about anyone in Delaware politics. But on this occasion, whether it was because he had his game face on or whether because he didn’t think the mockery of his painful foot injury was all that hilarious, he didn’t crack a smile. I could practically see the comic book thought balloon over his head, reading “Laugh on little man, I’ve won more statewide elections than I can count and at this point I could get re-elected running up and down Route 1 in a chicken suit. So enjoy your joke, and then head back out to knock on doors until you have holes in your shoes.”

Senator, in the best tradition of American politics, I can only say this: I blame my children.